1.
Welcome, Diane Burton. For those who might not be familiar with you, would you be a dear and tell the readers a little about yourself? How did you get your start in the writing business?

(Diane)My husband and I live in West Michigan, close to the Lake Michigan shoreline. We have two grown children and three grandchildren. I write action/adventure and romance in various sub-genres: science fiction romance, romantic suspense, and cozy mysteries. When my children were getting ready for college, I decided it was my turn to do something for myself. Since I’m an avid reader, I thought it was time to write down those stories that were always running around in my head. It took ten years for my first book to be published then another ten for the next one. Since 2011, six more books have been published.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, please share how you handle it.

(Diane) Good question. If I’m stuck on one story, I’ll work on another. I usually have more than one story going at a time. By stepping away from the one giving me fits, I can go back to it more relaxed. I also think about the story before drifting off to sleep. Somehow, the problem works itself out during sleep.

Contrary to what some people envision about a romance writer’s life, it’s not all glitz and glam. Well not for the majority of us. With that bubble sadly busted, when you’re not writing, how to do you spend your time?

(Diane)I’m retired from a job outside the home, so my favorite thing to do is play with my grandchildren. I like to read and watch movies. As much as I like to garden, bad knees make it difficult. Now I’m more of a “sidewalk” supervisor to my husband who puts a lot of effort into “my” garden. I also like to quilt. Time is my enemy, though, so I haven’t been quilting much. Recently, I hauled out my sewing machine to make clothes for my granddaughter and for her American Girl doll. We moved two years ago (for the last time!). I’m still trying to find places for our belongings.

4. I know many writers, such as myself, keep their pastime/career a secret. Do those close to you know you write? If so, what are their thoughts?

(Diane)I know what you mean. At first, I was embarrassed to say I was a writer. The inevitable question was “are you published?” and I’d have to say no. Then I would respond “not yet.” Now I’m proud to say I’m a writer. And, yes, I am published. My family is very proud of my accomplishments and like to tell others. My oldest grandchildren (5½ and 8) know I’m a writer. They also know they have to grow up before they can read my books. However, we do write stories together. They tell me what to type then we print it out and they illustrate. They have great imaginations.

5. Will you share with us your all time favorite authors? If you’re like me, it’s a long list so give us your top ten.

(Diane) Wow. Ten? Usually, I have to limit it to one or two, which is so difficult.

Jayne Ann Krentz (Amanda Quick, Jayne Castle)

Linnea Sinclair

Janet Evanovich

Daphne duMaurier

Nora Roberts (J.D. Robb)

Linda Howard

Bob Mayer

Maris Soule

Marilyn Baron

Agatha Christie

6.
If you could choose one book to go to the big screen, yours or otherwise, which book would you choose and whom would you love to see casted in the parts?

7.
Would you care to tell us what you’re working on now? That is if it’s not top-secret information. If so, just whisper it in my ear. I swear it’ll go no further.

(Diane) LOL Nothing secret about it. I’m working on the 2nd Alex O’Hara book, THE CASE OF THE
FABULOUS FIANCE. Alex is a PI in a small Lake Michigan resort town. She’s up to her ears in trouble again. It’s in the revision stage right now. Percolating in the back of my head is the 4th book in my sci-fi romance Outer Rim series THE SPY.

8.
Where can we find your stories and is there a particular reading order?

(Diane)My books can be found at most online retailers. Here’s the link to my author page on Amazon, which lists all my books. http://amzn.com/e/B00683MH5E

The Outer Rim series can be read in any order as they are all standalone books that take place in the frontier of space. If you want to read them in the order in which they were written, start with The Pilot. The Switched trilogy is best read in order: Switched; Switched, Too; Switched Resolution. The Case of the Bygone Brother is the only Alex O’Hara book currently available. And One Red Shoe is a standalone.

9.
Would you please share how your present and future fans can contact you?

Before we conclude this enlightening interview, do you have anything else you’d like to share? The stage is all yours.

(Diane)It’s never too late (or too early) to start a writing career. You have to have perseverance to be published. Since it usually takes a long time to find a home for your book(s), enjoy the process.

Thanks, Kam, for having me on your blog today.

Ladies and Gents, I hope you enjoyed my interview with Diane Burton. If you have any questions or comments for Diane, by all means, leave her a message below. But before you do, lets check out my review of The Case of the Bygone Brother (An Alex O’Hara Novel) first. Shall we? 🙂

Alex O’Hara finally gets a case that will give her bottom line a much needed boost. She might even be able to change her diet from ramen noodles to prime rib. All she has to do is track down a man who’s been missing for over ten years. Piece of cake . . . until an old flame arrives and a mugger roughs her up with orders to back off.

(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)

I love detective stories and especially when it’s a woman in the sleuth role. What can I say…us chicks have to stick together. 🙂

This story wasn’t set back in the 20’s or 40’s but it had the vibe of those decades. Case in point: the usage of the word “dame” and some of the lingo. Ex. “Another fine mess you’ve gotten me into.”

Yes, when I read this, I didn’t visualize it in technicolor. No, in my mind, this story was classic black and white.

As with the classics from the time periods above, this story had tons of mystery, comedy, sexual tension, and a big DUN-DUN-DUUUUN!!!

Yeah, as you can tell, I totally dug this detective story and want to find out where Nick and Alex go from here. I’m sure you will too after reading it. 🙂

Great interview! Although I've known Diane for a while, it's always nice to get a fresh angle! It sounds like you are a terrific grandma, Diane! I bet you are raising your own little batch of writers there! Your THE CASE OF THE BYGONE BROTHER sounds like a cute and fun read, and I love your casting. Katherine Heigl is a favorite, and Bradley Cooper is…well, Bradley Cooper! I loved him before he made it big, when he was on the TV show Alias. He has a great voice…and other notable assets! Thanks for sharing your post today!

Thanks, MJ. Yes, my little writers have a lot of fun with a free program from Carnegie Library called My StoryMaker. http://www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/storymaker/ It's great for inspiration, although my grandkids get frustrated with some of its "help." They have better ideas. LOL